Atuação de nutricionistas responsáveis técnicos pela alimentação escolar de municípios de Minas Gerais e Espírito Santo.

Abstract

The nutritionist is responsible for promoting eating and nutritional security in school food, thereby contributing to the adoption of healthy eating habits. The scope of this study was to assess the actions of nutritionists as the technicians responsible for school food in the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo. A cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 77 nutritionists, and included descriptive, univariate, multivariate and Poisson regression analysis with robust variance. The results revealed non-compliance by the majority of nutritionists with various fundamental attributions of the program as required by law. These include the compilation of the annual work plan, analysis of the nutritional composition of menus, elaboration of technical procedures for food preparation, use of the Good Preparation Practices Manual and conducting the test of acceptability. The regression models showed that nutritionists who prepared a work plan, performed nutritional assessment and conducted tests of acceptability, perform more Food and Nutrition Education actions. These findings highlight the urgent need to bring the municipalities into line with prevailing legislation and implement corrective actions.